1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to flanged half bearings that is to say, plain bearings each of which consists of a semi-cylindrical shell with a semi-annular end flange at one or each end, so that the complete half bearing is capable of supporting journal loads and axial loads in one or both directions. The bearings will frequently carry a lining on the bearing surfaces of a material having a lower melting point than the material of the shells and flanges themselves.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Until now such flanged half bearings have been manufactured from flat strips through a multi-process folding and curling operation, or by making the shells and the flanges separately, and having an arrangement for clipping them together. The first method has tended to be rather expensive in that many of the bearings made do not conform to the design requirements, and the latter method has tended to produce bearings which are not reliable because the flanges can become detached from the shells in use with disastrous results.
It is important with a flanged half bearing that the flange should be in a plane at right angles to the axis of the shell, and that the diameter of the shell should be accurately related to the diameter of the housing in which it is to fit. Whereas when, the bearings are thin-walled bearings, that is to say bearings which are thin enough to have some flexibility to be capable of conforming with the housing in which they are mounted, there should be "freespread" which is the excess of the diameter at the edges of the shell over the diameter of the half housing in which it is to fit. A little "freespread" is usually required so that the bearing can be sprung into its housing, and in the limiting case where there is no difference between the two diameters, it is said that there is "zero freespread".